Romney vs. Obama -- How U.S. Travelers Are Likely to Vote

September 14, 2012
When it comes to answering the question of Romney vs. Obama, a new survey reveals the voting intentions of American travelers

M

As political pundits cast predictions in “Romney vs. Obama,” a new survey asks, “What if the traveling public called the Presidential race?”

The survey, conducted by MMGY Global, found that among all active U.S. travelers, 37 percent are registered Republicans, 35 percent are registered Democrats and 23 percent are independents. If their stated intentions come to fruition this Election Day, GOP candidate Mitt Romney will occupy the White House in 2013.

Regional differences boost President Obama’s chances for a second term, however. He is favored to win by nearly half of active travelers (48 percent) in both the West and Midwest, two regions that are home to states with powerhouse electoral votes. Romney’s fans make up the majority of vacationers who reside in the South (58 percent) and Northeast (47 percent), regions that also include states with significant electoral weight.

Beyond the presidential race, the survey also revealed that the expiration of Bush-era tax cuts would have an adverse effect on the future vacation plans of active travelers.

The majority (54 percent) of travelers stated that the expiration of tax cuts would affect future travel plans. Some 32 percent stated that they would “take substantially fewer leisure trips,” while 22 percent would “take somewhat fewer leisure trips.” The good news, however, is that nearly four out of 10 (38 percent) travelers said that the expiration of these tax cuts would have no effect on future travel behavior.

More than eight in 10 active travelers plan to vote in the forthcoming presidential election, although less than half of all eligible adults actually did so in the last presidential campaign.

About TravelhorizonsTravelhorizons™ is a quarterly survey of Americans’ travel intentions, conducted by MMGY Global, a global marketing firm. This iteration of the nationally representative survey of 2,232 pre-qualified adults was conducted between July 27 - August 6, 2012.